Branch doesn't think A&M will move before hearingRep. Branch thinks committee will get to question Big 12, SEC, A&M before Aggies make SEC move
By The Associated Press

A Texas legislator doesn't believe Texas A&M will leave the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference before a hearing in front of his committee Tuesday.

State Rep. Dan Branch, the chairman of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, called a hearing before his committee for Tuesday with Big 12, SEC and Texas A&M officials. Texas A&M soon moved up a meeting of the board of regents from Aug. 22 to Monday that includes an agenda item about conference realignment.

But Branch says A&M officials told him that moving the meeting wasn't "an attempt to pre-empt legislators questions and that this will take perhaps a week to two weeks to work out anyway, if a bid is extended."

He added that his understanding that the item on the agenda is simply to "authorize the president to enter into negotiations with the SEC if a bid is extended."